Danger-signal fob



S. G. SORENSON.

DA'NGER SIGNAL FOR RAILROADS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-7. 191s.

Patented 1m 2, 1919.

SOREN G. SORENSON, OF VALLEY JUNCTION, WISCONSIN.

DAN GER-SIGNAL FOR RAILROADS.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 7, 1916. Serial No. 118,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, 80min G. SoRnNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Valley Junction, in the county of Monroe, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Danger- Signals for Railroads; and I do hereby dcclare the following to be a full, clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to danger signals for railroads, and has for its object to construct a device of this character which will indicate that a wash-out in the roadbed has occurred.

A further object is to provide a device of this character so constructed that the signals indicating a wash-out can be discerned either in the day time or at night.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind having means for resetting the parts after the same has been operated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means whereby a station agent will be notified that a wash-out has occurred so as to warn an oncoming train, or send a crew to the place of danger for making repairs.

With these and other objects in View, this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formation, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of'the device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the device, corresponding to Fig. 2, but with the parts enlarged and in position when the signals are operative.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a post, which may be of any formation found suitable, and in one side of which is rotatably mounted a shaft 2 having a lug or a ratchet tooth 3 projecting from its periphery, the purpose of which will appear later. Fixed to the shaft is a signal arm .or'semaphore 5. The arm 5 is fixed to the shaft 2 so that one arm is longer than the other, and when the lug 3 is engaged with the pawl 6 the arm will be held in a vertical position, said pawl being pivotally.

Patented Dec. 2, 19 19. 7

Connecting the pawl 6 and rod 8, at a 1 point above the shaft 2 is a chain 12, which chain passes over the pulley 13 supported by the post, so that a downward movement of the rod 8 will raise said pawl to release it from the lug 3 to permit the arm 5 to turn .to an operative position.

The post carries a box 14 in which are mounted the batteries 15, and pivotally connected to the post 1 adjacent the box 1 1 is a contact plate 16 connected to the rod 8 by the chain 17. Circuit wires 18 lead from the batteries to the depot, so that when the plate 16 is moved downwardly into engagement with the contact 19 the circuit will be closed so as to notifythe station agent that a wash-out has occurred.

A casing 20 is supported by the post and has mounted therein an incandescent light 21, connected with the batteries by the circuit wires 22. Mounted on the casing 20 is a contact rod 23 which is encircled'by the coil spring 24:, serving to absorb the jar when the weight 11 drops and the plate 7 engages said spring. After the plate 7 has been moved downwardly by the weight 11 the latch 25 will move inwardly under the action of the coil. spring 26 so as to engage the plate 7 thereby holding the same in contact with the rod 23 so that the light will glow until the circuit is broken.

This is caused by the engagement of .the

plate 7 with the contact rod 23 so as to close 7 dropping from the bank or the like which previously supported it, for instance, ad jacent to a stream, due to a wash-out, or be carried oh by the stream.

Pivotally connected to the post 1 near its lower end isva lever 27 which has connected thereto a chain 28 engaged around the pulley 29, and connected with the chain is a rod 30 having a chain 31 connected to its upper end and also engaged over pulley 32, said chain being connected to the latch 25 so that when. the rod 30 is moved downwardly upon upward movement of the lever 27 the latch will disengage the plate 7 so that the spring 24: will force the same upward thus breaking the circuit to extinguish the light providing the weight 11 has broken loose.

A chain 33 has one end connected to the rod 30 and the other end to the lug shaft 2 so that the shaft 2 can be rotated to its normal position when the rod 30 is moved downwardly so that the lug 3 will. again engagethe pawl 6, thus holding the arm 5 in a vertical or inoperative position. It is of course,to be understood, that in the illustration'the arm 5 swings to the right when moving to a' horizontal position. and vice versa,the long arm being held upward when the shaft 2 is held by the pawl 6. It is also 1 to be understood that when the latch'25 is released, the spring 24 is sufliciently strong to raise the plate? and the rod 8 providing the weight 11 has broken loose,,but otherwise, the weight 11 must be lifted and allowed to rest upon a support, as when set for operation, to allow the parts of the device to return to initial position after the operation of the lever 27 to release the catch 25 and return the arm 5 to a vertical position by turning the shaft 2 through the medium of the chain 33, which chain serves to limit the turning of the arm 5 to a horizontal. position by its overbalancing weight, when the pawl 6 is released, the chain 33 pulling taut with the rod 30 in. carrying out this function. It is of course understood that the, lever. 27 is in its downward position when this operation is taking place, the upward swinging of the lever 27 cansing the turning of the shaft 2 to reset the arm 5 and to release the, plate 7, as heretofore specified.

The post. 1 is arranged. in a place where a wash-out is most likely to occur, and the weight can be either engaged with the ties or on the ground adjacent the track so that when the weight .moves downwardly it will pull upon the rod 8, and at which time the chain 12 will disengage the pawl 6 from the stop or lug 8" so that the arm 5 will swing from a vertical to a horizontal position, and simultaneously with the swinging of the arm. the plates 7 and 16 will be actuated to close the respective circuits connected thereby. Of course it will be obvious that when the lever 27 is moved upwardly and when it is desired to reset the parts the rod 30 will be pulled downwardly thus swinging the latch 25 outwardly so that the plate 7 can swing upwardly, and at the same time the shaft 2 will be rotated through the medium of the chain 33 to return the arm 5 to its vertical position, whereit is held by the pawl 6 engaging the lug 3 as before, the flash or light 21 and the signal at the station or depot being rendered inoperative by the automatic disengagement of the spring contacts 7 and 24, and 16 and 19.

What is claimed is 1. A danger signal for railroads and the like, comprising a post, a plate pivoted in the post, a flexible connection suspended from the plate, a weight at the lower end of the connection, a series of signals adapted to be actuated upon downward movement of the plate underthe action of the weight when the latter is released from a supporting position, meansto hold said plate downwardly disposed and means to lift the plate upon release of the first named means, should the weight be detached.

2. A danger signal for railroads of the class described, comprising a hollow post, a shaft rotatably mounted thereon, a signal arm fixed to the shaft exteriorly of the post, a rod movable vertically within the post and having a weight connected with its lower end, means for holding said shaft in one position of rotation, means for rotating the shaft when the rod is shifted, a swinging plate connected to the rod, means to hold said plate in a downward position, means for releasin said holdin means and resetting the same, means for causing upward movement of the plate together with the rod and additional signaling means operative upon the downward movement of the rod, simultaneously with the operation of the signal arm and inoperative upon the raising of the plate. I V

3. A signaling device of the class described. comprising a post, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, in a horizontal position,a normally vertical signal arm fixed to the shaft, a rod movable vertically in the post and having a weight connected with its lower end. said shaft having a lug thereon, a pawl within the post and having engage-- ment with the lug to hold the arm in a vertical position, said pawl also having connection with the rod for releasing the pawl upon downward movement of the rod, a sec- 0nd rod also movable vertically within said post and having connection with the shaft for turning the latter to move the arm to a vertical position and means to hold the rod in a raised position.

4:,A signaling device of the class described, comprising a'post, ashaft rotatably mounted therein in a horizontal position, a normally vertical signal arm fixed to the shaft, a rod movable vertically in the post and having a weight connected with its lower end, said shaft having a lug thereon, a pawl within the post and having engagement with the lug to hold the arm in a vertical position, said pawl also having connection with the rod for releasing the pawl upon downward movement of the rod, a second rod also n'lovable vertically within said post and having connection with the shaft for turning the latter to move the arm to a vertical position, a movable support within the post to which said first named rod is 7 connected, means normally holding said support in a raised position independently of the weight, means for releasing said last mentioned means through the medium of the second named rod when moving the arm to a vertical position to be held by the engagement of the pawl with the lug oftlie shaft, and local and distant signal devices having connection with the first named rod. and including electrical circuits closed upon the downward movement of the rod simultaneously with the actuation of the arm and automatically releasing upon the raising. of the rod together with its supports under the action of the raising means therefor, or upon releasing the rod first named of the load of its weight. v

In testimony whereof, I afix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

SOREN Gr. SORENSON. Witnesses C. H. KELLoGe, H. M. SoWLE, 

